The Halloween Kids (TV series)
The Halloween Kids is a Canadian-British-American animated dark comedy television series created by Elliot Strange. The show aired on UPN in the US, Global in Canada and the Sci-Fi Channel in the United Kingdom. Production The show was produced by Gecko Studios, Ironic Entertainment, Artemis Entertainment, Specific Pictures (for nine episodes) and Fireworks Entertainment, in association with Adelaide Productions and Columbia Tristar Television. The show was funded through The Movie Network, SuperChannel (later Movie Central) and CHUM Limited. This was the second adaptation of the The Halloween Gang, the first being an eponymous series created by Byron Blessard in the mid-90s. By the time it was created, the book series had ended (itself over creative issues between Strange and Blessard.) Blessard had intended to revive the series under his own vision, but the show wound up failing (it had amassed four seasons due to its inexpensive nature and it exploiting E/I requirement measures. It had only been cancelled due to its original distributor dropping the show amidst a merger and Blessard was unable to find a new one. The show was conceived by Howard Stemple, Dub Goras and Owen Emerson. All three had sought to create an original project following the advent of more creative projects on television. Emerson had read the graphic novel series and wanted to do something around that. Strange was reluctant to relinquish the rights, though he relented when Emerson promised to let him work on the show. Due to a long regional split between the creators (Strange had been based in Vancouver while Stemple, Goras and Emerson were in Los Angeles at the time.), the developers had to work out a compromise; the voices would be recorded in Vancouver to save on costs while the show would primarily be produced in the United States. Jay Firestone joined as a producer and helped back the show through his production company. Adelaide Productions was commissioned to work on the animation for the project. They outsourced the show to Yeson Animation; Rough Draft Studios worked on the opening sequence and worked on later episodes. For a network, Strange advised against the big four (for FOX, he felt that they wouldn't even air the full series, while for the others he feared that they'd air the episodes out of order.) The choice was split between The WB and UPN, with the staff leaning toward the latter, though it's believed they went to UPN first and they agreed to air at least one season after one of them brought up potentially going to their prime competitor. The opening theme is Edgecrusher by Fear Factory. From episode 3 onwards (mainly to promote Digimortal which had been out for a few months by then), the song Invisible Wounds (Dark Bodies) was used during the closing credits. Episodes featured music from hard rock and nu metal artists. Due to disputes between the producers and the network, the show faced two hiatuses within its first season. The show initially debuted in 1999 for two episodes, but due to low ratings, the show was taken off the air. It came back in June of 2000 just to fall short again due to conflicts over what direction the show should take. They eventually reached a settlement and the show finished out its run in the summer of 2001. Broadcast Internationally, the show aired in reruns on SPACE in Canada, Trouble in the United Kingdom, RTE in Ireland, M6 in France, Super RTL in Germany, Locomotion in Latin America, 2x2 in Russia, Nine Network in Australia and Maxxx in the Philippines. Reruns aired on Ion Television in the US (ironically, Ion also aired The Halloween Gang back when the network went under the name PAX.) Plot The show is set in the fictional town of Belbury, a suburban community. In the books, Belbury is based somewhere in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont or southwestern Massachusetts, but due to the show's Canadian roots, it was changed to somewhere in central British Columbia (due to the cast being made up of actors from the providence, as well as its Canadian roots, the swap was necessary), and is mostly based on Port Coquitlam. Belbury was founded on Halloween by a group of alleged witches fleeing from Salem, going through years of appropriation before getting fully established in the early 20th century. Among the most prominent characters are the Slaatsky and Mahoney families. The Slaatskies, consisting of father Boris, mother Hanneke and daughters Selma and Jupiter, had recently returned to Belbury after an unexplained month-long absence. It isn't until the finale that we learn that Hanneke and Jupiter were cursed by a neighbor after the former lost a bet, becoming monsters when provoked; they had left in the hopes the rest of the neighborhood would forget about their destructive potential. The Mahoneys, consisting of matriarch Dakota, eccentric Leland, diva Adelaide, airhead Artemis, sporty and righteous Mabel, friendly punk Julie and twin siblings Jody and Judy, go about their lives as, ironically, the most normal family in Belbury. Jody and Judy have been in a constant feud due to the former's ego and the latter's anger issues and they tend to get the most focus out of everyone in the family. Judy hangs out with Julie in a gang of moralistic bullies while Jody finds himself becoming the leader of a fearsome clique. Overtime, Jody learns to put others before himself and Judy mellows out as well. Episodes begin with a cold open that typically has nothing to do with the plot of the upcoming episode. According to Strange, these reflected his opinions on most matters carried out in the spirit of the show. Characters Prominent Characters The show had no set main characters. This denotes characters who appeared the most often. * Jupiter Slaatsky (Andrea Libman): Jupiter is a white-haired bubbly girl who for years found it difficult to express herself due to her father's attitude. She had an inferiority complex and felt uninterested in trying to make a name for herself. In spite of this, sometimes she exhibits selfish tendencies and goes by stereotypes when encountering most people. She is cursed by Monte along with her mother into becoming monsters, leading to them leaving Belbury for a month, but both get restored after proving themselves. * Selma Slaatsky (Janyse Jaud): Selma takes after her father, and tends to be abrasive and crude, inhibiting her from making friends. This reflects on her school life, where she tends to bully most of her female peers. Selma is into sports that mainly involve the use of rackets, specifically tennis, badminton and lacrosse, plus she has a hefty appetite. She has a dysfunctional relationship with Jupiter and tends to bully her; this is mainly out of jealousy for the fact that Jupiter is hardly affected by the mostly dysfunctional nature of their parents. Deep down, Selma was troubled and felt too scared to express her true feelings. Over the course of the series, she opens up and even makes peace with Jupiter. Aligned with the Survivors * Boris Slaatsky (Long John Baldry): Hanneke's husband and the father of Selma and Jupiter. Boris is a Russian immigrant, and a bumbling idiot who has seemingly given up on life. His mindset was spurred by encounters during the Red Scare, where every attempt at him trying to help was deterred by everyone's paranoia at the time. This, along with his strong admiration for Lyndon B. Johnson inspiring him to proceed with destructive acts. Boris takes his less offensive actions with good humor and is willing to let his wife be with people that hate him, as is allowing the kids to make their own decisions (though this is often misconstrued as gross negligence.) * Hanneke Slaatsky (nee Demke) (Kathleen Barr): Boris' wife. Hanneke poises herself as a respectable mother who wants to maintain a sense of moral decency, but her methods are often frowned upon by the rest of her family and she is not taken seriously. She hardly interacts with the rest of her neighborhood and is headstrong in the face of criticism. Hanneke was arrogant, but this seemingly changed when she got cursed. She works at a news station, though the extent of that job has never been revealed, she's firmly established to be the source of the family's income. From Safford, Arizona. * Dakota Mahoney (Jayne Eastwood): Delta's daughter and Artemis and Julie's mother. Dakota is a pro-wrestler who seems to be more obsessed with her body image than Enid, with the two serving as friendly rivals. Dakota tends to be rough and is prone to angry outbursts, and due to her line of work she is unable to always be there for her family, but whenever a crisis occurs, she's willing to drop everything to help. She was a three-time champion at a local wrestling club in her hometown. Dakota is part Scottish and part Irish. From Tomahawk, Wisconsin. * Leland Byrd (Jay Brazeau): Dakota's husband. Byrd is an eccentric politician who adheres to right-wing philosophies. Leland was responsible for driving Jody into his pretentious state, though Jody was able to stand up to his father. Back when Burt was a registered Republican, Leland served as his running mate and in spite of Burt becoming more moderate, the two remain friends though their relationship is shaky at best, and he is also friends with Bob and Enid. Leland is childish and tends to role with any ridiculous plan thrown his way. He is deaf in one ear, having been too close to a malfunctioning generator while with his father during a factory tour. Byrd is a caricature of senator Robert Byrd, replicating his views, though physically he resembles segregationist and Klansman Theodore G. Bilbo. Leland comes from Terrell, Texas. * Julie Mahoney (Kathleen Barr): A punk girl who often takes the role of a contrarian. She used to be a prominent street rat until she got the chance to turn her life around. Julie holds a strong moral compass and sticks up for much weaker individuals, though she tends to be very sarcastic to most people she isn't fond of and is, at best, apathetic to Judy. Julie used to be a typical girly girl, but after breaking due to years of mockery, devolved to he current phase and made it her own. * Artemis Mahoney (Tegan Moss): Julie's older sister, the middle child of the family. Artemis is a street-wise individual who shares a similar moralistic view to Julie. She also tends to be naive, going along with anything no matter how insane it is. She is picky about who she wants to follow, and is quick to chastise anyone she suspects of being fake. * Adelaide Mahoney (Jenn Forgie): The eldest daughter in the Mahoneys. Adelaide has psychic powers, which she keeps secret and uses to keep tabs on those she's against. Adelaide is bratty and unforgiving to those that cross her, but is loyal to those she considers her friends. She has taken an interest in fighting and has taken up martial arts. She gets along with Jody and Mabel (the former for his equal personality and the latter as she respects her privacy), is neutral to Julie, considers Artemis annoying and loathes her dim personality and is also disgusted by Judy's rampant hypocrisy. * Jody and Judy Mahoney (Samuel Vincent and Tabitha St. Germain): Twins, as well as the youngest in the Mahoneys. In episodes centered on the family, they're featured the most prominently. The two are heated rivals, but tend to work together the most often, later mending their ways. ** Jody is an obnoxious and brutally honest boy who hardly considers the consequences of him telling the wrong thing to the wrong person. His behavior stems from his father teaching him so, though some argue that he could've been worse as it at least made him more resilient. He is often the victim of physical abuse at the hands of Judy, but this had only made him more headstrong. In spite of his behavior, he maintains a strong bond with most of his sisters (Adelaide and Mabel) and friends Deacon and Randy, plus his attitude allowed him to integrate with the cliques and he became an effective leader for them. He also has common sense and can often tell if something will go wrong. Dakota hardly scolds Jody for his narcissistic behavior, feeling that he was far worse when he was selfless (indirectly getting Dakota into trouble and humiliating her when he fought to protect her honor.) and may have swayed his father into teaching him otherwise. He is technically older than Judy, being born ten seconds before her. Outside of the Survivors, Jody's prime circle of friends consist of Randy, Deacon and Stacy. ** Judy is typically laid-back, but suffers from anger issues and shares her brother's ignorance in consequences. Unlike her brother, Judy is incredibly violent and tends to beat her brother up when he upsets her. Her discontent with her brother seemed to center on his behavior, but overtime we learn it was over petty stuff like his taste in music and repressed jealousy over his greater favor. She is incredibly ignorant over the effect her often negative personality has on her family, to the point Dakota goes harder on her as she had often missed work or job interviews when Judy got detention or in a predicament she couldn't get out of. She hung out with Julie's gang (namely out of their opposition to the cliques) but she never made any friends with the members aside from Colleen, and she was on shaky ground with Julie. Judy is cut out of the group after she frames them for stealing her homework in Bad Seeds of Doubt and defects to Jody's side. Before this, in spite of ill-feelings, Judy would aid her brother in rare instances they share a common enemy. The Survivors A clique consisting of kids who have gotten out of trouble, while embarrassing those who tried to do the same to them. Jody, Selma and (later) Judy are affiliated. * Stacy MacPherran (Britt Irvin): A fizzy yet trashy girl. In spite of her affiliation, she is close to Julie, with the latter aiding her in one-on-one tasks. Stacy is also somewhat squeamish when it comes to more dire situations and doesn't think through what she says, and tends to speak in lingo. Stacy becomes Jody's girlfriend, building up for most of the episodes. * Ashley Yorke (Janyse Jaud): Ashley is a somewhat sociopathic child, taking joy in seeing obnoxious people suffer. She is willing to put down anyone who annoys her, regardless if said person is on good terms with her. As a result, she has very few friends and has no interest in making any new ones. Her hatred of obnoxious people appropriately stems from constant encounters with them growing up; this has even extended to her family, to the point she refuses to even share the same house with them, moving into her treehouse before getting taken in by Andy. Her parents and upper relatives are her polar opposites, being obnoxiously optimistic and friendly, but vicious when questioned. * Fiona Kennedy (Chantal Strand): Fiona seems to lack mental stability, showing no reluctance to bring about cruel and unusual punishments to anyone who crosses Francis or any of the other elites. Also tends to act like a dog, something she does to get attention. She is close to Ashley and tends to assist her when she goes her own way. She is revealed to be poor and lives in a trailer park. *'Georgina Sutcliffe (Tabitha St. Germain):' The school diva. Georgina originally hailed from Yorkshire and was a sheltered, boarding school attendee from a well-off family until they lost ownership of the school. They moved to New Brunswick to start a new life and their daughter would be forced to attend public school. Georgina is a girly-girl, slightly naive due to her still-developing grip on the middle-class town and was nasty for a while, but slowly changed throughout the series. Georgina is a curious girl who isn't afraid to get dirty every now and again, and has a bizarre fondness for gross things. This helped her become friends with Jenny, who considers most gross things on Earth a delicacy, as well as Sam who's work revolves around gross things. A running gag throughout the series is that Georgina always gets hit in the head by a ball. * Casandra (Nicole Oliver): The most popular student at Belbury Middle School. True to her title, Casandra is an obnoxious airhead, and few want to associate with her. She hardly antagonizes anyone though, and seems to be impatient with anyone she deems annoying. To the Survivors, her personality is endearing and she can be helpful if she wants to, but it's not as common. * Briana Waloski (Tabitha St. Germain): Daughter of Burt and Jade. Unlike her parents, Briana is wrapped up in her wealth and is quick to put lower class individuals down. Her behavior is due to insecurity; she had been bullied before her parents became rich. Her insults are thinly-veiled cries for friendship, though thankfully she was able to make connections with the Elites. * Monique Broderick (Chiara Zanni): She is strangely idolized for her mysterious visage, something that irritates her, though she takes the high road and says nothing about it. Truthfully, she is very shy and finds it hard to hold one on one conversations. She enjoys listening to music and is mostly around for the ride. Monique is Australian and often attacks stereotypes associated with her home country. * Deacon Madigan (Peter Kelamis): A typical emo with a dark sense of humor, and one of Jody's best friends. Any depressing musings from are followed with a quick joke and he gets sensitive when confronted. Deacon is more or less socially awkward and he goes with the emo facade to get out of social interactions. * Randy Burfield (Matt Hill): Jody's other best friend and his right-hand man. Randy is a practical joker of some acclaim. He's able to work out any scenario and is seemingly able to evade trouble almost seamlessly. He's opposed to girls, primarily those who tend to sway Jody (as a joke, it's suggested that Randy is secretly gay and wants to keep Jody available until he could safely admit it to him.) Randy had fallen victim to a prank a year ago, plotted by his father, and he had been living away from his family since. In When the Straw Falls, his father tries to get back in his good graces, but Randy refuses to forgive him. It's unknown where he's from, though it's suggested he came from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, as he knew Jody from childhood and given the proximity between their home states. * Mackenzie "Mack" Hulteen (Vanessa Morley): An obnoxious girl who's often seen with Trudy. She was a notable bully in elementary school, but mellowed out over the years and began to settle comfortably into the cliques. She often serves as a peacemaker between her party and others, and is relied upon for putting out a good word for hopefuls. * Britney Reichardt (Erin Fitzgerald (pilot/episodes 2, 7, 8, 9 and 13), Nicole Oliver): Britney is conceited, obnoxious and willfully ignorant on a cultural basis. Activities with French tend to be incredibly taxing for the both of them, as Britney's far more set in her ways and seems unwilling to change. She was voiced by Erin Fitzgerald, but due to her moving to Los Angeles she had been taken off the show for financial purposes, but had occasionally voiced her in episodes where she played a bigger role as the narration portions were shot in L.A.. * Trudy Conway (Chiara Zanni): Mack's best friend. Takes the role of the obligatory sidekick and is most often seen with Mack when she's not with the Survivors. It's implied that her family is rich and she has an obsession with golf. Julie's Gang A team of bullies with a rigid moral compass. These bullies prefer to maintain order in the school and are opposed to those who tease and attack others without provocation. This wasn't the case until Julie became the leader and turned them to a more noble cause. Suzy would soon take over the group after Julie blamed Jody and Judy for ruining her standing with her family, though Suzy would betray them later on. * Colleen Dixon (Jillian Michaels): A meek girl who tends to keep to herself most of the time. Whenever she speaks, it's in the form of a sarcastic quip, no matter to whom. She is seen the most often with a hoodie and beanie, no matter the weather. She was Judy's only friend and often tried to prevent her from doing things that would get her in trouble. However, the two remained together and Colleen would later integrate with the Survivors. * Victor Fulton (Brian Drummond): A toady boy with a unibrow and buck teeth. He's a dealer and a prankster who only acts when he knows he could get away with it. He often goes into things without thinking and tends to throw his friends into danger to save himself from any trouble. Other times, if the situation seems hopeless, Victor would do anything to get out of it. * Thaddeus "Corky" Winthrop: '''A timid mute boy who is best identified by the fact that he wears a bicycle helmet almost all of the time. While the point of ridicule, the helmet seems to be hiding Corky's weirdest trait, though some believe it's meant to cover a soft spot. Everyone refers to Corky by his actual name, Thaddeus, but only in Julie's circle do they call him Corky, and until Unusual Suspects, they didn't know what his actual name was. * '''Angela Asbrew (Jenn Forgie): Kerry’s niece. Angela is a bit of a loner and generally anti-social. This was brought on by a troubled home life. She left her parents after they showed indifference to when she got separated from them and was sent to live with Kerry via a court order. Kerry wasn't any better at raising her, thanks to his mental issues, and it worsened her own bad aspects. Angela is insecure and lacks self-esteem. Angela lacks the initiative to go out and make friends, save for Selma since she shares her poor social skills. She suffers from chronic nosebleeds which typically occur when she's flustered. Among her interests are playing the piano and flying kites. * Megan Chavari (Jillian Micheals): A girl who's best identified by her buck teeth and trucker cap. She's passive aggressive and insecure, losing her cool when people make fun of her. Megan has trouble concentrating and it's suggested that she has some kind of learning disability, though this was hardly explored. She has a crush on Jerry, but he doesn't respond well to her advances as she chooses an aggressive approach. *'Dante Ahrens (Tony Sampson):' A bully of a mild nature. Dante doesn't seek to harm anyone unless they provoke him, or if someone hires him to. Over the course of the series, Dante attempts to better himself after feeling out of sync with his social status. He develops a crush on Julie and the two get together in the second season. Dante's appearance is based after Chevelle vocalist Pete Loeffler. *'Clifford (Brian Drummond):' A heavyset bully who's the muscle of the entire group. Clifford tends to bully other people on his own volition, but he claims it's not out of malicious desire, but rather for entertainment. He's more distant from the group and only seems to act with them on a business basis, and it's implied he suffers from some form of social anxiety. Other Prominent Characters * Suzy Hellman (Catherine Disher): The prime antagonist. Suzy serves as a statement on unchecked hypocrisy when it comes to social justice. She attacks students high up in the social food chain, while possessing traits of a typical diva. Early on she left the primary characters alone, but after succumbing to psychological torture, became more vicious. * Kerry Reichardt (Garry Chalk): Britney's father. Kerry seems to lack mental stability, often quick to go into extremes if no one's around to keep him in line. The root of Kerry's mental problems has never been identified, though it's believed he suffers from Bipolar Disorder. He was married to Hen but she left him spitefully. Kerry's from Denison, Iowa. * Cosmo Kadic (Ian James Corlett): A principal at Belbury Middle School. Cosmo is prideful and quick to get instigated when challenged. Beyond his closest friends and family, he seemingly cares little about the well-being of others, shown by him tormenting numerous students whilst he was in college. He also seems to use his job as principal to let out his more sociopathic tendencies, all to enforce his role as principal. The means he goes to do this is a reason why numerous supernatural beings attend the school, and also why he and Ms. Chapley are the only constant members of the faculty. In spite of his demeanor, he doesn't actively hate anyone unless they antagonize him. Cosmo's demeanor stems from the death of his wife and his reluctance to start a new relationship. From Great Falls, Montana. * Bob Dixon (Dave "Squatch" Ward): Colleen's father. For a time, he was the strongest man in Belbury, best known for his dexterity and better resistance to pain. This was compromised when he was involved in a car accident, breaking his back and both of his ankles in the process. Years of recovery rendered him out of shape and he walks with the aid of a cane. Bob came from Anderson, Missouri and was often the victim of teasing due to him being Jewish in one of the more prominent parts of the Bible Belt, and as a result he found it hard to truly trust anyone, leading to a mild sense of contempt with the world. His wife Enid and daughter Colleen, along with most members of the neighborhood are exceptions as they share similar views to him. Bob is envisioned as a "Jewish Archie Bunker." * Burton Waloski (Richard Newman): A billionare who's the wealthiest resident in Belbury, later becoming the mayor. Contrary to the archetype, Burton is a very generous man, who's willing to help lower class individuals. Due to his moderate nature, he is hardly taken seriously and tends to be the only one who has any opposition to what his neighbors do. He has a vehement hatred of child predators, stemming from a traumatizing encounter he had with his father, and became a lawyer, dedicated to putting them behind bars. While generally laid back, Burt tends to insult his opponents and deflect counter arguments, often leading to physical fights. From Kellogg, Idaho. * Jade Waloski (Teryl Rothery): Burton's wife. Seemingly poised as a trophy wife, Jade is actually a very intelligent woman, being the only one in the neighborhood to graduate with a degree, though she was never able to find a career in her field that made her happy. Jade is a timid and frail hypochondriac who is often seen with her husband and is reluctant to stand on her own. From Leavenworth, Washington. * Linda Meeks (Saffron Henderson): Linda's a bit high strung, though this doesn't completely overtake her personality. She is generally impatient but does little to fight off urges from others to partake in the plot of the day. Growing up in a rural town, Linda found it hard to communicate with most boys and kept to herself, something mostly kept into adulthood. She becomes Leland's sister in law after his father marries her mother. While she doesn't agree with Dakota's methods of raising children, she respects her for the privilege of being a god mother. From Corinth, Maine. * Lionel Byrd (Peter Kelamis): Leland's father. Contrary to his son, Lionel is an outspoken liberal (admitting to have voted for George McGovern and Walter Mondale, though was critical of Franklin D. Roosevelt.) Lionel was, at best, indifferent to Leland, with his son's poor traits coming from the people he was exposed to growing up, and a loss of contact existed between them due to Lionel electing to stay in his hometown of Luray. He currently lives with Delta in Linda's loft. * Delta Meeks (Pam Hyatt): Linda's mother and Dakota's mother-in-law. Delta's a hardworking woman who had been forcibly laid off from her past job as a teacher to make way for younger clientele. As a result, she's mostly harsh to people younger than her. Delta initially got with Lionel to get a pardon for missed tax payments, but after realizing that they'd be stuck together due to divorce laws in Belbury not applying until after a year, both grew to like one another. * Enid Dixon (Kathleen Barr): Colleen's mother. Basically Bob's equal, Enid had been a victim of bullying due to her height along with a rumor of her supposedly having a green nipple, and she had also been a victim of religion-related bullying as she came from a state within the bible belt. While Enid often goes against Bob's means of parenting most of the time, she is still strict and mostly old-fashioned. She reportedly started the "silent sixteen" movement for people unwilling to take part in political affairs. Enid is from Batesville, Arkansas. * Majel Sandoval (Nicole Oliver): Majel is neurotic and seemingly depressed. She always possesses a dour demeanor and has little good to say. Beyond her negative nature, she finds reprieve in shoegaze music and science-fiction and is Hen's best friend. She runs a morgue and co-runs a local funeral home, having developed a tolerance for working with the dead. From Greeley, Colorado. * Henrietta "Hen" Hulteen (nee Kibby) (Tabitha St. Germain): Hen is a mild woman who seemingly follows in Duke's footsteps, but is much friendlier. She wants what's best for her family and seemingly hates the MacPherrans for being more successful than them. In reality, her family shows no interest in her, hating her due to siding with someone as unpleasant as Duke, but not as much as him. Hen leaves Mack in Muriel's custody and departs from Belbury in One Way Street. From Batavia, Ohio. * Duke Hulteen (Andrew Kavadas): A boorish classical thinker. He was the main figure in an otherwise dysfunctional family. Duke owes his way of thinking to the standards of the fifties and sixties, and resorts to harsh means to prevent anyone from one-upping him. Duke had latched onto Nels, him being his only son, expecting him to become a successor, but due to years of mental abuse, Nels would later lash out and nearly murder him, with the deed being fulfilled in a conspiracy made by Muriel along with the neighbors. From Shelton, Connecticut. * Nelson "Nels" Hulteen (Ty Olsson): The eldest child and only son in the Hulteen family. Nels had been desensitized by a generally negative childhood, being pushed by Duke to be his own definition of a man and receiving no help from Hen. Nels had often lashed out at people who harmed him, he attacked his teacher when she didn't believe him after falling for a set of lies, paralyzed a childhood bully for mocking him, blinded a girl after he crashed her slumber party and they put makeup on him as part of a prank, and nearly raped his cousin after Duke punished him with a cruel prank for messing with her birth control pills. He would later snap and attack his parents, later killing himself after being rid of any will to live. Aside from his mental issues, Nels was friends with Adelaide and was a college graduate. * Brooks MacPherran (Ron Halder): Muriel's boyfriend and stepfather to her children. Brooks is a blunt and short-tempered man, harsh to just about everyone, but shows restraint to his family. He used to work at a bowling alley in his hometown, frequently writing to Muriel, but having been laid off, he returns to Belbury. Brooks had been at odds with Duke and tended to go against his wishes just to get a rise out of him. From Sturgis, South Dakota. * Andy Hammond (Scott McNeil): An uppity man who rarely holds back when it comes to criticizing people. Andy is generally anti-social, which heavily affected his work life because of his penchant to snap. His attitude enabled him to earn a relationship with Chris, later Autumn and Martha when they met. In spite of his demeanor, he could surprisingly be reasoned with once someone talks to him long enough, and he's seemingly not very bright, as he tends to go against his own social doctrines by accident. His poor depiction of the world stems from his introverted nature, and as a result he reacts to things differently than anyone normally would. Andy holds no contempt toward anyone, save for those he deems to be rotten by nature. Andy grew up in Lander, Wyoming. * Mike Stearns (Garry Chalk): A sour man and a frequent complainer. In the books, he was a frequent critic of several African American movements, particularly the Black Panthers; this was toned down for the series, but allusions still suffice. Compared to people like Martha and Andy, Mike isn't as misanthropic as them; while Andy and Martha merely comment on something negatively knowing full well they can't do anything about it, Mike is more vocal about his dissatisfaction, to the annoyance of the otherwise silent circle he's in. Mike's from Reserve, New Mexico. * Chris Hancock (Collin Murdock): A downbeat man. Chris tends to be the middleman in his circle, tending to try and stop any confrontation with a quick comment. Chris suffers from depression, something the others have caught on to and they attempt to keep their interactions leveled to avoid setting him off. Unlike Andy or Martha, Chris is an introvert by choice. He was unable to maintain lasting relationships and had a very bad relationship with his father, along with some poorly decided career choices where he had to put up with condescending superiors. That aspect gave him a complex where he immediately rebuffs anyone who's quick to criticize (Andy's an exception to this, possibly because Chris knows Andy does it by nature.) Chris grew up in Battle Mountain, Nevada and works at an electronics store. * Montgomery Proctor (Clint Howard): A former warlock. Monte suffers from narcolepsy, and is a bit of a milquetoast. He had viewed Hanneke lowly for many years, due to her downplaying his issues. It culminated in him cursing her and Jupiter into becoming monsters, causing them to leave Belbury until the neighborhood forgot about them. Both fulfill the terms of their curses and Hanneke and Monte part on good terms. Monte's from West Bridgewater, Massachusetts. * Muriel MacPherran (Cathy Weseluck): Mack's mother. Muriel is a tomboyish woman who has fought in the Vietnam War (disguised as a man), took up work as a fisherman and rode with a motorcycle gang, before getting done in by a one-night stand with a man, leading to an unexpected pregnancy. She settled in Belbury and primarily hangs out with Dakota. Beyond her rough exterior, Muriel is a caring mother who gets along well with her kids and has become something of a godmother to the Mahoneys. A running gag throughout the show is that she always needs to urinate. From Niles, Michigan. * Hope Chapley (Ellen Kennedy): A haggard teacher at Belbury Jr. High. She was formally married to Kerry (apparently done through a shotgun marriage), but he wound up leaving her. In spite of her profession, Hope vehemently hates children, especially her class, directing it the most to Julie and her friends to the point she tries to get them expelled with her attempts either failing to go anywhere or backfiring when they strike back against her. Beyond teaching, Ms. Chapley also does maintenance work around the school. It's implied that she rarely leaves the school, but the circumstances behind this were never confirmed. * Daphne Kadic: Cosmo's estranged wife. She is mentioned frequently in each episode but has never been seen. Details on her life were revealed throughout the series from her childhood to her adult years. As a kid, Daphne was a tomboyish girl who loved flowers and often picked on Cosmo. When she turned 25 she left to join the army but was sent out of the battlefield due to her losing her hand in combat. She took a job as a waitress at a diner and reunited with Cosmo, eventually marrying him. Daphne is killed a month prior to the pilot telefilm and it heavily affected Cosmo since then. * Mercury MacPheran (Kathleen Barr): Mack's eldest sister. Mercury is vanity laden and vain, a harsh contrast to her more tomboyish mother and sister. Although, she greatly opposes others like her who're more obnoxious over looks, and tends to bully said individuals. Mercury is also very insecure and unable to handle jokes done at her expense. She is friends with Adelaide. * Brian and Phoebe Hellman (Andrew Kavadas and Tabitha St. Germain respectively): Suzy's parents. The two are dark and elusive, always bearing agitated looks. People have been fearful of them due to their living habits or have already crossed their daughter. Truthfully, they're harmless but are unwilling to interact. Brian is Greek, and is a malevolent man who is prone to dark monologues. He is also somewhat liberal but doesn't go into politics. Phoebe is Croatian, is a bit more fierce and has little patience for anyone she feels won't help her in any way. Converse to her husband, Phoebe is a staunch Republican but is ironically an atheist. Brian's from Surrey, North Dakota and Phoebe is from Pendleton, Oregon. * Martha and Harold (Janyse Jaud and French Tickner respectively): Snobbish and generally negative neighbors who frequently appear throughout the series. Harold is an apathetic man who seems to care little about even the most dire situations, though he would ironically join in the activities of his neighbors. He cares little for his wife and tried to break up with her, but as he got her pregnant he was forced to marry her, and their marriage is dysfunctional as a result. Martha frowns upon more attractive women and is generally insecure overall. She is a conspiracy theorist who often comes up with crazy ideas as to why something is happening. Martha's from Newmarket, New Hampshire and Harold's from Sheffield, Vermont. Other Neighbors * Zelda: Suggested to be Majel's love interest. From Pekin, Illinois. * Amelia * Trisha * Autumn * Veronica * Chelsea * Paz: From Ardmore, Oklahoma. * Gaston: Paz's husband. From Jackson, California. Episodes Reception The show initially received mixed reviews, with criticism going toward its cynical and often nihilistic atmosphere. But in later years, the show received a cult following, with some considering the show ahead of its time. Compared to The Halloween Gang, this show was better received. Blessard attempted to sue Strange for trademark infringement, but the suit was dismissed as frivolous.Category:Fake TV Shows Category:Canadian TV series Category:American TV Series Category:English-language shows Category:Fake TV Shows that air on Real Channels Category:Animated series Category:Animation